NFL owners and executives got a fresh update on the Chicago Bears' stadium search Tuesday, as the league's top decision-makers met in Orlando for a one-day meeting and heard directly from team executives about two possible sites for a new home. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the Bears are looking at two viable stadium locations, one in Illinois and one in Indiana.
The team’s plans are now centered on the 326-acre former racetrack property in Arlington Heights, which the Bears bought three years ago, and a site near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana. The Hammond project would rely heavily on taxpayer support, while Illinois lawmakers were still working through details of a mega projects bill that would offer property tax breaks for a new stadium in Arlington Heights.
The briefing came as the Bears continue to press for a new domed stadium and the ability to host their own Super Bowl, a goal that has put new pressure on the team’s long-running search for a replacement to Soldier Field. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has kept saying the Bears could still stay in the city, but the team has made clear it has moved on from Soldier Field and is focused on the two sites now under review.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said the state is weighing the issue through the lens of taxpayers, saying, “We are focused very much on what's good for the taxpayers when we're making decisions about whether and how we're going to incentivize the Bears to stay. We have a deal on the table with the Bears that works for the Bears and works for the taxpayers.” State Rep. Kam Buckner called the talks part of the process and said Illinois has already assembled pieces of a package that, in his view, make the state the better option than anything east of its border.
The next step is political as much as financial. The 32 owners are still waiting for a final answer from the Bears on where they want to build, and any move ahead would need support from 24 teams. Goodell’s comments suggested the league sees both the Illinois and Indiana sites as real possibilities, but the team’s choice will likely determine whether the stadium fight shifts from planning to financing, or whether the Bears keep pushing for a deal that can move them out of Chicago for good.
